Ableton – Get Ideas Down Fast With Capture

At first, I didn’t think I would use the “capture” function much in Ableton.  But after using it a few times, I swear by it.  It is so much easier to get ideas down fast, without having to push record or set a tempo.  Capture does just that.  It allows you to play without recording and automatically remember all the notes you play.   In this video, I am going to show you the ins and outs of capturing MIDI.   This way you can use it like a pro and get more musical ideas down faster.

Here are some pointers for using Capture

⚡️ It will Capture MIDI to all the tracks that are armed

⚡️ You don’t have to set a bpm or play to a click, Ableton will figure that out

⚡️ You don’t have to push record

⚡️ Push the square bracket in the top transport area to capture the notes you have been playing

⚡️ Ableton has an easier time setting the BPM and phrase if you end on beat one of the next bar, but don’t overthink it

⚡️ Note that Capture MIDI’s tempo detection will set the tempo in the 80-160 BPM range. If you consider the played material to be at a tempo outside this range, you can adjust the song tempo to your liking.

⚡️ It tries to detect the phrase but you can adjust the loop to include previous material

⚡️ If the transport is playing it won’t set the tempo but will capture into the set tempo

⚡️ You can capture MIDI in the arrangement or session window

I hope this can help you.  Thanks for watching